The Sands Point (Grade 2)- $500.000 Purse
BEL- For Fillies Three Years Old
One Mile and One Eighth on the Inner Turf
September 17, 2016
Last year, track officials decided to make the Sands Point an appealing race to the best female turf horses out there. It’s purse was more then doubled, going from $200.000 to $500.000 in 2015. But would it stay that way? Thankfully, yes it has, and now we’ll have our second straight year of the increased purse. There were many greats that did run in this race with the lower purse amounts, such as Queen Lyphard and Antiquated Idea, so we do have an impressive list of past winners here. As we look into the 2016 version, we are treated to several who are on a good run of form, particularly Swarley Kapai. She is one of seven in the race, so here’s a run through the field!
#1- Congratulations (Blushing Meadows, ridden by J Alvarado)- The Copper Bottom filly ran last month in the Grade 1 Beverly D and ran into a filly named Mo Ki Missy who ran a quick pace the whole race, and couldn’t quite catch her at the end. We won’t see her, or anyone else who ran in that race at AP in this one, and that might be a little surprising. Congratulations will have a little less distance, in theory, to catch the leaders, but she should like the stretch run here. There may be a fair amount of pace in this one, and that may play right to her favor here. She has the quickest SRF numbers of anyone in here, and she’s going to want to avenge her fifth run here in the BEL Oaks in July. Be watching for her in the stretch!
#2- Cant Touch That (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R Alvarado Jr)- Regular rider I Ortiz Jr is going to be riding north of the border on Saturday, so D J C Racing Stables has called for the service of R Alvarado Jr, and good things happened the last time he touched Cant Touch That. It was just an allowance at PRX, but it was that race that began his current streak that has seen this filly win three of four. Those were ungraded wins in New York State, defeating two others in the Wonder Again here at BEL, and then beating three others in the Yaddo up I-87. She’s never seen what she’ll see today, but I like it as a test for her, and if she runs her race, she’s very capable of winning.
#3- Laff Night Out (Buddhabase, ridden by E S Prado)- Most of her early racing career saw her running on the main track, and she put together a successful two year old season as a stepping stone for this year. This year started great, with a win in the $100.000 Suncoast in Feburary down at TAM, but that has become her only visit to the winners circle this year. Graded stakes on the dirt were not going well, so Buddhabase called an audible and sent her to the turf for her last start, just the second time she had been on grass. She ran second in the Grade 3 Boiling Springs Stakes at MTH that day. I wish I could see another more recent mile turf work to have more confidence.
#4- White Bikini (Luz International, ridden by D Van Dyke)- After breaking her maiden in her debut, White Bikini just could never pick up a win in allowance company, though had many close calls. So, if you can’t win an allowance, then you might as well try a stake, instead. That worked like a charm for White Bikini, who picked up her second career victory in her 11th start at the $100.000 Hilltop Stakes at PIM. Following that, and after running so well on the grass, the trainer moved her to dirt for the Grade 3 IA Oaks at PRM, and she was awful. That experiment is over, and it is now back to the turf for the Sands Point. More then likely, she’ll be hanging with Congratulations at the back most of the way and they’ll look to come on strong at the end.
#5- Swarley Kapai (Grimley, ridden by E Cancel)- It has been an adventurous year for this filly. She has run in KYO prep races, and even ran against the boys in a KYD prep race over the spring. Her finishes in those races were strong, including a close second in the Grade 2 Gazelle out at AQU. After attempting the Acorn here, the trainer moved her to the turf for the Grade 2 Lake George at SAR, and she would get the win. She would be kept at the Spa, and a month later won the Grade 2 Lake Placid. There may be no lakes here, but we do have plenty of sand in the Sands Point, and I see no real reason to bet against Swarley Kapai unless you just want to play beat the favorite. Everything about her looks good heading into this, and I think she’ll run much like she did in the Lake Placid, which a stalking trip, taking over in the stretch, then holding off Congratulations and common rival Smokin Nebulae. She is my pick.
#6- Street Baby (Australia Wide, ridden by J Talamo)- The trainer has been very patient with this filly after she ran sixth in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf last fall, however, it’s also interesting that this will be her first run in a stake since then. Street Baby has been winning. Since the BC, she has five starts, with three wins and two places, but you have to wonder why she has not run in anything other then optional claimers. That question is even more fair when considering this is one of the top trainers in the game who won’t be shy about running his horses at the stake level. Has she been groomed for this race, in particular, and then ultimately a fall run? Could be.
#7- Smokin Nebulae (Drabfantasy, ridden by J Lezcano)- She just has not been able to get away from Swarley Kapai. Her last two races, like Swarley Kapai, are the Lake George and Lake Placid. She’s been second in both while her rival won them both, each by a length. So the question here will really what will it take for Smokin Nebulae to make up that length. In all probability, she is going to look to come from off the pace, probably with Congratulations, and she should be able to keep a clear lane when doing so. This filly has only raced five times and has plenty of potential, and I expect to see her coming on hard from behind, and when she does, she’s going to see someone familiar. Maybe this will be the time, as she probably still is yet to hit her peak.
Prediction: 5-7-1-2
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
